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An oceanfront community wrapped in nature and tucked under a canopy of mature trees, Amelia Island Plantation (www.aipfl.com) in northern Florida is a family vacation destination offering a little something for almost every interest.
And, if there are just two things that makes the Spa at Amelia Island stand out from other spas I’ve visited on this tour, it’s the setting – a mature, natural environment – and the spa director’s passion and community leadership for all things “green.”
Spa & Salon of Amelia Island Plantation, Florida
Much more than a resort, Amelia Island Plantation is a 1,350 acre year-round residential community. Located about 30 miles north of downtown Jacksonville, the Plantation is home to about 1,000 private homes and condos, four 18-hole golf courses, the oceanfront Amelia Inn, a wide expanse of pristine beach, shops, about a dozen eateries and lounges, a nature centre, a renowned tennis program, bike trails, a free tram service on call almost round the clock, and a large spa. Despite development, the island remains dotted with maritime forests and salt marshes and is still home to a variety of protected plants, birds and wildlife.
Housed in a stand alone building set among a pretty village-like collection of shops The Spa & Salon of Amelia Island Plantation is not a luxury spa, but it is large (20 treatment rooms) and nicely appointed, offering a full menu of treatments plus hair services, make-up application, spray tanning (all organic), and even ear piercing. When it comes to service, the spa coordinators at the front desk couldn’t welcome me fast enough and even apologized because they were busy with another guest when I walked in. And, it wasn’t because they knew I was there to review the spa – they treat all guests the same way.
In the large reception/retail area, I’m introduced to a Comfort Coordinator who shows me to the locker room where there’s a eucalyptus and lavender-scented steam room and a small semi-private lounge.
Steps away, a comfortable seating area wraps around a glassed-in meditative garden. Listening to the sounds of water, guests relax here before and after their treatments while sipping on citrus-infused water, Tzo teas, or hot chocolate and snacking on bowls of fresh fruit while gazing out onto the garden. There’s the option to step outdoors to enjoy a few deep breaths while resting on a sole wooden bench. The garden’s stone path leads to a narrow wooden bridge connecting to a tiny piece of land known as Watsu Island.
While the name remains, there is no longer a Watsu treatment offered at the spa and the reason lies with the spa’s new holistic focus.
Spa Director and green guru Bill Di Stanisloa, explains that one reason for closing the Watsu pool in its self-contained building on Watsu Island was lack of demand. The average number of guests requesting the Watsu treatment was “about three a year,” he says. So, to save the energy used to maintain the bathtub-warm pool, they turned it into a cool plunge. Referring to the Watsu treatment, “it didn’t work,” he said, “so it wasn’t ‘green’ to keep it running.”
Di Stanisloa, whose background is in alternative therapies, herbology, and metaphysics, is a local leader in the “green” industry. He created the Green Bible for the industry in 2007. The Amelia Island community, he says, is now about 52% green and the goal is to become 80% green by the end of 2010.
Recycling, he says, is still relatively new to Florida but the goal of the Florida Green Lodging Association, of which Amelia Island is a member, is to be 75% green by 2020.
He underscores the 75% percent by 2020 and questions why it should take that long. When Di Stanisloa and his energy arrived at the spa in 2006, the focus changed (with the support company executives) to holistic and environmental consciousness. He says products used in the spa today are all organic and, when possible, locally made.
Following a half-hour discussion with the man, one cannot but feel swept up in his passion for the ultimate wellness of the planet.
One of the holistic treatments the spa now offers is the signature 50-minute Himalayan Salt Stone Massage. I tried it and while it wasn’t any different than the standard basalt hot stone massage, the benefits are substantially different – the Himalayan salt stone is packed with traces of 84 minerals including magnesium, phosphorous and particles of oxygen.
When asked why spa-goers should come here, Di Stanisloa gives me three reasons:
1. No chemicals.
2. No machinery – all treatments are hands-on
3. We keep it simple
I’ll add one more. The lush, natural environment.
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